Defra slaughter figures for August show a 1% decrease in clean pig slaughter compared with a year earlier, totalling 938,500 head. However, one fewer weekday in the month this year may have influenced this decline.

Pig meat production in the EU fell once again in June, by 5% compared to the previous year, to total 1.8 million tonnes. The number of pigs slaughtered in June also fell, by 6% to total 19.3 million head.

The EU-spec SPP fell 0.43p in the latest week ended 7 September, to average 152.90p/kg. This followed the price increase last week. The price remains nearly 5p above the price at the same time last year.

In August, the FAO Food Price Index declined for the third consecutive month, down 1% month-on-month. The drop was mainly the result of falling sugar and important cereals prices. Despite this, the index continues to trend above year-earlier levels.

The latest half-year figures from Eurostat record a 4% (-99,000 tonnes) year-on-year decline in German pork production, totalling 2.58 million tonnes. Both domestic consumption and export volumes have also been falling.

During the second quarter of this year, pork prices in many parts of the world rose rapidly. This is reflected in export prices from the world’s four main pork exporters, the EU, US, Canada and Brazil.